Local News

Residents in Santa Cruz County now enter the third week of the shelter-in-place order from health officials launched on March 16 in response to the COVID-19 spread. Now those officials are shifting the initial two-week plan to remain in place until at least May...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—New Leaf Community Market has closed its Aptos location after seven employees tested positive for COVID-19. The company made the announcement on its website  on Tuesday, saying the store will stay closed “until further notice.”  The announcement came four days after the store closed...

Today is May Day also known as International Workers' Day. It is a day of celebration for laborers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labor movement. The May Day angle of it is a celebration of spring, usually involving traditional dances, barbecues and parties. In...

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today that some retail stores in California can reopen, with some modifications, as early as Friday. The major move comes during mounting pressure to ease the stay-at-home order that has largely crumbled the state's economy. “We are entering into the...

SANTA CRUZ—A man in custody for domestic violence-related charges at Santa Cruz County Main Jail was found dead inside his cell Sunday, Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn announced. According to Keehn, correctional officers found Tamario Rashawn Smith, 21, unresponsive inside his cell around 6pm. The officers performed...

WATSONVILLE—A man in his 30s was seriously injured Tuesday when he shot himself in the parking lot at Motel 6 in Watsonville. Watsonville Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said two men were inside a Honda Civic at the motel, 125 Silver Leaf Drive, just before...

Gravesites are marked with flags on Memorial Day at the Evergreen Cemetery in Harvest West Park in Santa Cruz Monday. Previously known as Decoration Day, it is a federal holiday in the U.S. designed to honor and mourn military personnel who died while serving in the armed...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District is asking residents to help honor the district’s 1,179 graduates by turning on their outdoor lights and decorating their yards between May 25-29. The “Lights On Grads” and Yard/Door Decoration Event is a way to give graduating seniors a...

Conchita Gonzalez, owner of Conchita's Ice Cream in Plaza Vigil, said she was glad to reopen recently. Gonzalez, who has been open at the same spot for 22 years, said she cried for a week straight when she first had to close. "Now that...